What condition can mask compartment syndrome?

Compartment syndrome is a serious condition that arises from increased pressure within a muscle compartment, leading to reduced blood flow and potential muscle and nerve damage. The correct answer, which refers to a median nerve injury, highlights an important aspect of diagnosis in such cases.

A median nerve injury can mask the symptoms of compartment syndrome due to overlapping pain and sensory deficits. When the median nerve is affected, a patient may experience paresthesia, weakness, or numbness in the areas innervated by that nerve, which can be mistaken for symptoms of compartment syndrome. The subtlety in presenting symptoms may lead clinicians to misinterpret the underlying cause, as the typical presentation of pain and swelling associated with compartment syndrome might not be as pronounced when the median nerve is injured. Therefore, caution must be taken to appropriately assess for other potential causes of symptoms, particularly in the forearm or wrist where the median nerve is typically located.

Fractures, while they can indeed lead to compartment syndrome due to associated swelling or hemorrhage, do not mask its signs; rather, they are a known cause. Pulsatile hematomas can indicate significant vascular injury but, similar to fractures, are typically more indicative of compartment syndrome rather than masking its signs. UCL (ulnar collateral ligament